A GERM RAIDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 43

A GERM RAIDER.

RETURNS TO GERMANY. THE FATE OF THE WAIRUNA AND MATUNGA. ALLEGED DESTRUCTION OF 55 VESSELS. VALUABLE CARGOES SECURED. (By Cable). _ Berlin officially announces that the auxiliary cruiser Wolf, commanded by Captain Nerger, has returned after a 15 months' oruise from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans with 400 members of the crews of sunk ships, including also white and coloured British military forces. The Wolf also brings several captured guns and great quantities of valuable raw material, including rubber, copper, brass, zinc, cocoa beans, and copra, worth many millions of marks. The Wolf captured the following vessels, .taking prisoner their crews : Turritella, Jumna, Wordsworth, Elie, Wairuna, Winslow, Beluga, Encore, Matunga, Hitachi Mara, and Igotz Mendi. The Turritella, an unarmed mcchantman, was captured in February, 1917, and equipped for mine-laying, and as an auxiliary cruiser she operated in the Gulf of Aden, under the command of the Wolf's first officer, until she encountered a British vessel, which took prisoner her crew of 27 men. Germany is enthusiastic over the Wolf's achievements. The vessel tried several times to return via the North Sea, but the watchfulness of British ships prevented her, until finally she succeeded in reaching port. A wireless German official message claims that the Wolf destroyed 35 merchantmen, aggregating 210,000 gross tonnage. Several of the victims were laden with troops; their sinking therefore caused a corresponding loss of life. PASSENGER PRISONERS INTERVIEWED. The Australian Press Association has secured interviews with passengers from the Igotz Mendi. Thomas Rees, second officer of the Wairuna, said that vessel was going to San Francisco, when, on the 31st, aeroplanes suddenly stopped her south of the Kermadec Islands. The aeroplanes were sent by the Wolf, which was lying back among the islands.. The Wairuna's crew and the Wairuna. was sunk. < During his cruise on the Wolf Rees saw the Wolf sink nine ships, of which some were neutrals. Two of the Wairuna's officers escaped near the Kermadec Islands. Subsequently 160 prisoners from various sunk steamers were locked up for 28 days in the hold. They were allowed out in the fresh air for only one hour daily, and suffered terribly in the tropical heat. After the Wairuna was captured the Wolf*, cruised for weeks,''hunting between the Kermadecs and Australia, capturing and sinking * a number of benzine schooners off the New Guinea coast, enabling the replenishment of the seaplane stores. The capture of the Matunga gave the Wolf great quantities of food. The raider then went towards Java, laying a train of mines. She encountered and attacked the Hitachi Maru, which was carrying a cargo of copper and rubber of great value. The surprised Japanese fought pluckily, losing 1Z seamen before surrendering. "?•

Several British steamers were seen on January 24 when the Igotz Mendi was in the Gulf of Mexico. The German crew prepared to sink the ship, but the Spanish first officer threw all the bombs overboard. The British steamers passed without suspecting anything. The Spanish officer was court-martialled and admitted throwing the bombs overboard. He declared he could not allow the ship to be sunk while women and children were aboard. He was locked up till the Igotz Mendi stranded. The Matunga was one of the Wolfs victims. She was voyaging from Sydney to Rabaul, and carried as passengers Colonel Strangman, chief of the medical service of Rabaoil, Maior Flood and his wife, and 17 others, mostly members of the Australian Tropical Force returning from leave. The crew totalled 43. The Wolf's next victim, after capturing the Igotz Mendi, was the Matunga, with a valuable cargo. The British crew were taken aboard the Wolf, and apparently were treated well. The three ships then proceeded to a desert Dutch island, where part of the Matunga's cargo was stored, but the most valuable part was put into the Wolf. The Germans then sank the Matunga with a bomb. The next victims were the Beluga and the Hitachi Maru, the latter's crew being Asiatics. The Wolf, being now overcrowded, a number of the prisoners were transferred to the Igotz Mendi. A prizecrew was also placed on the Hitachi Maru and ordered to capture a coal steamer, but in this they did not succeed. On the return of the Wolf - she sank the Hitachi Maru. The Wolf was now near the coast of Australia, and the captain decided to return to Germany. ~ ■ The raider Wolf captured the Hitachi Maru on September 26, and 14 of her crew and two Indian passengers were killed in the fight. The Wolf sank the Hitachi Maru on November 7.

GERMAN CLAIMS. " A German communique claims that the Japanese battle cruiser Haruna, of 28,000 tons (built in 1914, and mounting eight 13.5 in guns), and either a Japanese or an English cruiser, name unknown, were badly damaged'. The British Admiralty states that no British cruieer has been damaged, and the

value of the rest of the report may ba gauged by such a claim. The Japanese Naval Attache declares that the report so far as the Haruna or any Japanese cruiser is concerned is without foundation. THE WAIRUNA'S CREW. The head office of the Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, received tiie following cable message : ' Rees (second officer) and Donovan (cook) landed at Skagen, Denmark. Remainder Wairuna's crew (numbering 41) taken to Germany. All well. Will report in London soon as possible.(Signed) Rees. THE IGOTZ MENDI STRANDED. . / THE PASSENGER-PRISONERS LANDED. The Igotz Mendi, the Spanish steame* captured by the raider Wolf, and utilised to convey the passengers and crews of sunken vessels to Germany, went ashore near Skaw, nortJh of Jutland. A number of Australians and two New Zealand army medical officers were landed from the Igotz Mendi. The medical officers were interned. The Igotz Mendi carried a crew of 40 Spaniards, besides the original passengers and a German prize crew of 40. The prisoners of the latter represent the crews of 10 vessels sunk by the Wolf, and include Englishmen, Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and Scandinavians. Lighthouse keepers brought the 40 prisoners ashore. The Germans refused to leave the steamer. The German sub-commander came ashore and was interned, despite his angry protests. According to the sailors the Wolf cap* tured the Igotz Mendi in the Indian Gttlf two months ago and placed a prize crew aboard. Since then the Igotz Mendi has followed the Wolf, assisting in all. its marauding. Nobody was allowed to leave the vessel during the whole period. The Igotz Mendi was en route for Australia with 1000 tons of coal. On May. 21, when in the Indian Ocean, she sighted a large steamer, which, on removed its bulwarks, disclosing a niumbei? of guns. It proved to be the Wolf, w.hich fired several shots at the Igota Mendi, which stopped, 'and was captured. The homeward voyage was commenced in November round the Cape The Wolf sank a sailing vessel by gunfire, and ifaep. sailed northward, intending to go north of Iceland, but this the ice prevented, and the Wolf sailed southward, while the Igotz Mendi went north of Iceland. Prisoners state that their treatment aboard was fairly good, excepting that vermin and lack of clothing caused discomfort, while scurvy and beri-beri also broke out.

Four hundred have been landed fromtb* Igotz Mendi. A portion of the German crew of the Igotz Mendi refused to abandon the ship and refused to allow Spanish officers to quit. The sea being still high, Danish lifeboats and a warship stood by. German submarines appeared on Tuesday, but a Danish warship drove a submarine out of territorial waters, where it was waiting. Owing to rough seas off the Skaw the crew of the stranded vessel signalled; for assistance, and two Danish lifeboats brought them off. The Igotz Mendi is probably now a total wreck. The prize crew (German) has been interned, but tha Spaniards - will be sent homo. The pas-. sengers are accommodated at hotels. After discussion amongst the Danish, German, and Spanish authorities, the Igotz Mendi was declared Spanish property. The captain took possession and let a contract for re-floating.

[The following are, aa far as they can bo ascertained from Lloyd's Register, the particulars of the vessels which the Wolf is alleged to have sunk : Jumna, British, 4152 tons gross. Built at Sunderland in 1902. Owned by the Mercantile S.S. Co., London. Wordsworth, British, 3509 tons gross. Built at West Hartlepool in 1915. Owned by the Sbakespear Shipping Co., LondonDee, British, 1871 tons gross. Built at* Stockton in 1902. Owned by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., MiddUesborough. Wairuna, British 3947 tons gross. Built a,: Newcastle in 1904. Owned! by the Union Steam Ship Comnany of New Zealand. Winslow, American, four-masted schooner, 567 tens. Built in 1899 at Port Blakeley, Washington. Owned by G., E. Billing, San Francisco. Beluga, American, 508 tons. Built at Bath, Maine, in 1882. . Owned by the Paci* fie Steam Whaling Co., San Francisco. Encore, British; 164 tons. Built at Hull in 1900. Owned by the Great Northern S.S. Fishing Co. Matunga, British. 1618 tons grass. Built at Glasgow in 1900. . Owned by Burns, Philp, and Co. (Ltd.), Sydney. Hitachi Maru. Japanese, 6557 tons gross. Built at Nagasaki in 1906. Owned by the Nippon Yusen K.K. Igotz Mendi, Spanish, 4648 tons gross. Built at Bilbao in 1916. Owned by the Cia Nav. Sota y Aznar.]